Kevin Jones must be exhausted. He’s been carrying West Virginia all season. But even his impressive work hasn’t been enough to stem a Mountaineers slide the last few weeks.
Too bad, too. When a player leads the Big East in scoring and rebounding, it should be cause for celebration, not stressing about the NCAA tournament bubble.
But that’s certainly all he cares about right now. Who needs individual attention?
“That’s secondary to what’s going on right now,” Jones said. “My biggest concern is getting us into the NCAA tournament. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to get us there. Without getting us to the tournament, all that stuff really means nothing in my mind.”
But it’s impossible to ignore those eye-popping averages: 20 points, 11 rebounds a game and 52 percent shooting. The Mountaineers (17-12, 7-9 in Big East) can’t count on anything except Jones.
“He’s been our one constant. Actually, he’s been our only constant,” Huggins said. “I don’t think he’s getting the notoriety nationally that he ought to get because he’s not a high flyer. He just does his job. At the end of the day, he’s going to get his 20 and 11. He does it on an incredibly consistent basis. And we’ve had a hectic schedule. We’ve played everybody and K.J., he’s carried us on his back.”
If West Virginia does get into the Big Dance, it’ll almost certainly be because Jones carried them. Why would the end of the season be any different?
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